Success Is A Good Habit
by Kathy Gates, Professional Life Coach

Ever wondered why some people just seem to
have it all together, and the rest of us are running around trying to keep it
all together? Success is not an accident Ė success is a good habit. These
7 smart habits can work wonders in your life too.

Habit #1. Get
prepared

Make like a boy scout, and get prepared. Choose one thing
that tends to jump out at you unexpectedly, and make a plan to prepare for
it. Once thatís in place, choose another one. Prepare for the unexpected trip
to the dentist, prepare for the lost keys, prepare for the dog eating your
eyeglasses, prepare this year for tax time next year, prepare for next
Christmasí bills, prepare for getting more education and a better job,
prepare for starting your own business, prepare for writing and selling your
novel, prepare for Mr./Ms Right.

Habit #2. Develop Routines

You
already have routines, but are they helping you or hurting you? Staying up
late and dragging around all the next day is a routine thatís contaminating
not only your physical health but your mental and emotional health as well.
Having a routine to work on clutter control 15 minutes a day contributes to
your desire for a clean uncluttered life (youíll be amazed at what you can
do in 15 minutes!). Take a close look at your routines and see where they
need some adjusting. For example, if you find yourself paying late fees
because you just didnít ďget around toĒ paying the bills, itís time for a new
routine.

Habit #3. Just say No

Say No to chocolate if youíre trying to
lose weight. Say No to mindless TV if you want to get a degree or start your
own business. Say No to doing other peopleís work. When you canít say No
to people and things, you end up feeling frustrated and resentful. When you
say YES to whatís important to you, then you feel fulfilled and energetic and
in control. And thatís what youíre looking for, isnít it?

Habit #4.
Stop striving for perfection

Thatís just an excuse to procrastinate, and you
know it. Filing your personal papers doesnít have to be in color coded,
typed folders. A simple system that you understand and can actually use is
whatís important. Strive for progress, not perfection.

Habit #5. Clean up
your mind diet

Itís a fact that whatever you spend your time focusing on is
what youíll have lots of in your life. Dwelling on the problem doesnít
take you closer to the solution. If you eat candy all day, youíll be sick. If
you put junk into your mind all day, youíll be sick. If you want to be
happier, feed your mind a happier diet.

Habit #6. Practice small
steps

Make your life easier by learning to break all goals down into small
steps. The idea is that you are moving forward, slowly and steadily. Use the
analogy of a skyscraper. It was built brick by brick, one at a time. So are
your goals. Concentrate on what you *can* do, like 10 minutes of walking each
day, or cleaning out one room per month. Youíll be surprised at how fast
the bricks add up to a building.

Habit #7. Consistency

Perhaps the
most important of all the habits is to be consistent in whatever you do.
Being consistent is what makes or breaks great people and great lives. Anyone
who is organized, works on it consistently, not ďwheneverĒ. Anyone who is in
good physical shape, works on it consistently, not hit-or-miss. Itís
more about making a new habit, than it is the intensity of it at
the beginning. Once the habit is instilled, it will be much easier to
raise the intensity.

Related Articles:

ABCs for High AchieversWhat actions can help propel you toward the achievement you want? Here is an easy way to use the alphabet to generate ideas.

Achieving SuccessWhat does success mean to you? Some people equate success
with amassing huge sums of money while others measure success
by achieving simple goals they have set for their lives.

Create a Winning Attitude for Success
A positive attitude of achievement is also made up of very specific elements. Following are Six
Characteristics of a Positive Mental Attitude. They are presented in sequence but it is the simultaneous interaction of them all working together that creates the synergy for a winning
attitude and success in just about any endeavor.

Life Coach Kathy Gates specializes in helping people who are ready to create
a simpler, less stressful, more meaningful lifestyle. Want to know how? Visit
www.reallifecoach.com to learn more and sign up for her newsletter.